A deadly Boko Haram and ISWAP clash in Nigeria’s northeast has escalated, with sources indicating that about 200 fighters have been killed in the battle over the Lake Chad region.
Despite the massive casualty toll from the Boko Haram and ISWAP clash, the Nigerian Federal Government has maintained silence, sparking concern over the security in the region.
The silence of the Nigerian government also raised concerns particularly as it comes as the U.S placed Nigeria on a Country of Particular Concern List over alleged Christian genocide in Nigeria and religious freedom violations.
Meanwhile, it was gathered that the deadly Boko Haram and ISWAP clash broke out in the village of Dogon Chiku on the shores of Lake Chad over the past weekend
The clash was said to have been fuelled by territorial control over the Lake Chad region.
According to reports, both groups covet the Lake Chad basin area not only as a strategic refuge from military offensives but also as a source of illicit revenue derived from taxing local fishing, farming, and logging activities.
Reports from a vigilante group assisting the Nigerian military also revealed that in the deadly clash that began last week Friday and ended on Monday, the majority of the casualties were ISWAP fighters.
Boko Haram fighters were said to have launched a naval invasion against ISWAP bases across the various islands in Lake Chad. The attacks were led by Hassan Buduma and Mohd Hassan and involved dozens of fighters armed with heavy weapons on motorised boats.
Reports also revealed that Boko Haram seized several ISWAP bases and their weaponry, surviving militants retreated to the mainland positions in the villages of Ali Jillimari, Metele, Kangarwa, and Gudumbali in northern Borno State, Nigeria. Only three of ISWAP’s boats managed to escape, seven others were captured alongside their arms and ammunition.
“From the toll we got, around 200 ISWAP terrorists were killed in the fight,” Babakura Kolo, a member of an anti-jihadist militia assisting the Nigerian military, told AFP.
A former Boko Haram jihadist, who has since renounced violence but follows jihadist activities in the region, also said “around 200 ISWAP fighters were killed in the clashes”, with several of their weapons seized.
“This could be the worst clash between the two groups since they began attacking each other,” said Saddiku, who lives in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, the epicentre of the insurgency.
A Nigerian intelligence source working in the region said they were following the aftermath of the clashes, estimating that they “killed more than 150”.
“We are aware of the fighting which is good news to us,” the intelligence source said.
Reports emerging on Tuesday have also revealed that following the deadly clash, ISWAP fighters have been observed in the Lake Chad axis, moving from the Tumbumma and advancing toward the Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.
The militants are said to be advancing from at least two fronts, indicating a possible large-scale confrontation with a rival Boko Haram faction operating in the area.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that the clash between Boko Haram and ISWAP is potentially the deadliest confrontation between the two groups since ISWAP broke away from Boko Haram in 2016, a split fueled by ideological differences over the treatment of Muslim civilians.
ISWAP and Boko Haram have been locked in a deadly struggle for territorial control since their split in 2016 over ideological differences, with much of the fighting taking place around Lake Chad.
Iswap was long considered the stronger and more resourceful of the two factions, but Boko Haram was seen as successful in the fight to occupy the Lake Chad area. Sunday’s clash was potentially the deadliest between them yet.
In May 2021, Iswap launched an offensive on Sambisa, the forest enclave that was Boko Haram’s longtime base, and where it kept abducted schoolgirls. It is believed that Abubakar Shekau, the infamous leader of Boko Haram, killed himself during a clash with ISWAP in Sambisa.
Between December 2022 and January 2023, Boko Haram also launched big raids on two Iswap bases in Borno state, the birthplace of the group’s radical ideology. Caches of weapons were seized as more than 100 ISWAP fighters were killed and 35 others injured, according to reports.
